A newly-discovered recording from after JFK's assassination is for sale. (Getty Images)

(Newser)
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Got $500,000 to spare? You could be the proud owner of a newly discovered piece of American history. A Philadelphia dealer in historic documents has purchased a reel-to-reel recording from Air Force One following the death of John F. Kennedy, and it’s got 30 minutes of never-before-heard conversations from the trip between Dallas and Washington, the AP reports. Top Kennedy aide Gen. Chester Clifton collected material from the JFK administration, and Philadelphia’s Raab Collection bought his archive after his widow died and is now putting the recording up for sale.

It contains in-flight radio calls between the aircraft, the White House Situation Room, Andrews Air Force Base, and a plane that was carrying Kennedy's press secretary and six Cabinet members. A shortened version of the recording is in the National Archives, and the Raab Collection will donate a copy of the long version to the archives and to the JFK Library. "It took decades to analyze the shorter, newer version and it will take years to do the same here," said Nathan Raab. Among other things, he said the tape will end speculation as to the whereabouts of Kennedy adversary Gen. Curtis LeMay right after the murder; he has long been a key figure among assassination researchers. An aide is heard trying to raise him: He "is in a C140. Last three numbers are 497. His code name is Grandson. And I want to talk to him."

I thought maybe it was the film the CIA played for Clinton and Obama the day after inauguration, filmed from the grassy knoll by one of the other shooters. The lights come up, the CIA guy says, "Any questions about who's actually running the country?" Thanks, Bill Hicks.

Rammrodd

Nov 15, 2011 5:19 PM CST

And you know the tape is authentic, because it was produced by Oliver Stone, and Kevin Costner's voice is clearly discernable.